About After School club

[AfterSchoolWorry]

My dd5 has just started in an After School club in a community centre.

Last week was her first day. I had been told the children would be walked home from school but in the event my dd was driven in a car. My dd5 says they didn't use a car seat. I have my suspicions this might be true as I saw the same worker who collected dd collecting children another day and glanced into her car and couldn't see any booster seats/car seats. Now in not sure what she children she was collecting so maybe it's not an issue.

Anyway, I brought in a spare booster seat myself and emphasised that dd was not of the weight to be doing without it yet. They accepted it and said they had their own, was I sure etc etc. The girl who had done the collection wasn't there at the time.

This evening dd was chatting about her day and told me that another child had brought her to the toilet. The worker who was looking after them was in the outdoor area and asked the older child to bring my dd.

The problem is the toilets are community centre toilets, anyone can walk in and out of them. Reception dont question people going in and out.

I'm not happy with this at all. I work in childcare myself and when outdoors at playgrounds/community centres/public spaces I would always accompany a child to the toilet.

Would I be unreasonable to pull my child out?

Btw, they used her booster seat today. I checked.

I wouldn't be happy.

If your not happy I'd find somewhere else. I wouldn't be happy about the toilets set up.

The toilets would be deal breaker for me. I’d pull her out.

After school clubs seem to be a mindfield, ours left my son with known bowel issues plastered in shit this evening. So
Unimpressed

You should ask to see their policy regarding the toilets.

Are they registered? (You'd be surprised how many aren't, or who don't need to be!)

Toilets can be a minefield. If the ones we use are out of use, or if we're out and about then an adult will check the toilets are empty and then allow the children in. There would never be a circumstance where one adult would accompany a child/children to the toilets. If we ever have to enter the toilets then we go in in pairs.

Is the area secure? When we use the community centre the door to our room is locked and would need one of the staff to let the children in and out if they were using other toilets.

Also, I'd be asking about the cars. If you were told she'd be walked then why is she being driven? Whose car is she in? Is the driver insured in that vehicle for that purpose? What adult-child ratio is there in the car?

Grumpbum that's disgraceful.

Thanks all, I do feel uneasy. its awkward as I work in the area so everyone knows everyone.

But I just can't relax. Funny enough the worker who failed to use a booster seat and the worker who allowed a child to bring my dd to the toilet are mother and daughter.

lalalalyra

She's being driven in one of the workers cars. They are registered and the staff are Garda vetted.

The toilet situation, I doubt ratios would allow two staff to go to the toilet together. This is Ireland, maybe rules are different elsewhere. Once the staff member is qualified and Garda vetted they can do personal care, especially since they wouldn't go into the cubicle itself, just the toilet room to see that the children are safe.

Maybe the Mother and daughter workers are just lax. The worker I spoke to and gave the car seat to didn't seem aware that the other worker hadn't used a booster seat. But I can't relax with this situation.

If they are registered then you could look up their last inspection and that will tell you certain things about how things are supposed to be done.

Ours reads that we have toilets in the hall which are solely for the use of the children. So theirs should have "Toilets are in x location. Children are accompanied/toilets are sole use/whatever the policy is"

They'll also have something in there about the cars if they are meant to be using them.

Maybe different rules in Ireland.

If their ratios don't give them enough leeway for a couple of staff to take a few kids to the loo then they sound very tight.

We're all qualified and checked, but we'd still never put any of our staff in the position of being 1:1 with a child in a toilet out of sight for everyone else. Not actually for the protection of the child (although obviously that's a part of it), but actually for the sake of the adult. It's bad practise for any childcare facility to put adults in the situation of being 1:1 out of view with a child, unless they are a childminder who is very open about the fact they'll be alone with a child.

I'd be checking she is insured to drive. If she has an accident, her fault or not and she isn't covered for business use, her whole insurance will be invalid.